If the Los Angeles Lakers grant Luka Doncic his wish this summer (retaining Austin Reaves, even if it makes it more challenging for the franchise to land Giannis Antetokounmpo), Los Angeles will have no choice but to pivot to second-year guard Dalton Knecht. The Tennessee product is going in the wrong direction with the Lakers, making it easy to see why including him in a deal for Antetokounmpo would benefit all parties.
Last Thursday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks revealed the likelihood of that swap occurring this summer. “We won’t eliminate the Lakers from an Antetokounmpo trade, but pulling off a deal would be difficult for multiple reasons,” Marks wrote. “Though the Lakers have nearly $50 million in cap space to absorb most of Antetokounmpo’s salary, they lack the draft assets and young players on controllable contracts.”
“Besides the 25th pick in June, Los Angeles has two additional first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 to include in trades. It can also swap firsts in five seasons (2028, 2030, 2031, 2032, 2033). Meanwhile, Dalton Knecht is the only Laker on a first-round rookie contract.”
“One realistic path for Los Angeles seems to be waiting until the 2027 offseason. But that would require Antetokounmpo to play hardball with Milwaukee and interested teams, announcing he will not sign an extension and playing out the season on an expiring contract. The Lakers would then have the available cap space to sign him outright next summer.”
In a nutshell, the Lakers may not possess the assets necessary to steal Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee this offseason. With Knecht being the primary young contributor on a manageable deal, Los Angeles could very well fall short in its pursuit of the undisputed No. 1 trade target available on the market. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Lakers won’t find another trade suitor for Knecht; it just complicates a potential deal for Antetokounmpo that’s centered on Knecht’s four-year, $18 million contract and various other assets
